Undead Rivalry
by WinterShadow
Summary: The Kira Case is over but Near suddenly finds himself with a little problem. Mello is back, and very angry. Not only that, Near finds out if Mello does not find peace soon, he'll be transformed into a demon, with dire results.


**Do you Believe in Ghosts?**

Rest at last. The Kira case was over; Light was dead. So were Mello and Matt; so was L.

So many lives lost in the fake god's wake, so many lives destroyed. But there was no sense in crying over it, over them. What is done is done.

"Oof!" Something struck him in the back of his head; he turned around to try to spot the suspect.

His blood ran cold. He was alone. The room was still and empty. He glanced down to see the wooden block that had hit him as his mind raced to figure this out.

He came to a conclusion:

"There's no such things as ghosts! There's no such things as ghosts!" Near repeated in an attempt to calm his nerves.

The room cooled abruptly. "Think again..." a disembodied voice whispered in his ear and the boy jumped, whirling around to nothing more then air.

"Who are you!" the albino yelped in growing panic, his skin crawling with his hair prickling. "What do you want?"

"Revenge..."

An icy jolt shot up his spine. It was obvious that this wasn't a friendly neighborhood ghost. He was in a world of trouble with a vengeful spirit on his tail.

"What have I done to you?" Near questioned, hiding his terror.

"You ruined my life and disturbed my mind; now I shall return the favor," the bodiless voice answered darkly.

The albino gulped. Within moments, the control room of the SPK came alive; the panels flashed madly and chairs rolled by themselves; his toys rose up and circled him threateningly, a ring of robots, blocks, and domino's.

He screamed, "Hal! Gevanni! Lester!" and made a dash for the door. "Help! Specter!"

It was locked; he was trapped. He whirled around and his toys found him once more; they circled up and down his body like a swarm of bees.

"You are mine now, Sheepie!"

Sheepie? Only two people called him that:

Matt, the one who invented his nickname, and Mello, Near's angry rival, oh so angry and at him, nonetheless. It was obvious who it was now.

The genius' eyes stung. How did things come to this? Had he really been so much for Mello to want to spend his afterlife causing him torment?

"Oh Mello..." he sighed, dark eyes full of sorrow.

Hearing his name and realizing the masquerade was over, his blond rival, or rather the ghost of him, appeared before him. Mello was the same as when he died, blue eyed and clad in black, the left side of his face practically melted from being caught in an explosion. He glared at him hatefully, his hands balled into fists at his sides.

The toys stopped and cascaded to the ground; a robot lost a limb from the fall but its plight was ignored.

"You must think you're so clever finding me out..." Mello growled, eyes alive with hatred.

Near began curling an ivory strand of his hair about with one hand. "Back so soon, dear Mello? You should've at least allowed yourself some rest first..."

The blond smirked darkly. "I couldn't, not when you stood victorious on the ruins of my life and of Matt's, of L's. I'm restless, Near; I now understand how those who haunt this world feel," he explained quietly; his smile faded. "I want payback for what you did to me. You came into my life and stole my dream and crushed my future; you even profited from Matt's violent death and my own. What kind of heartless, unfeeling being are you?"

"I avenged your deaths. I hated Kira for having you two killed. And I never meant to destroy your life; I was just living mine," Near defended calmly, though his heart was tight with guilt. "I never wanted to bring you harm; seeing you like this brings me great pain."

Mello snorted. "Only because you realize you won't get away with your actions this time. Perfect little Near, I win this time."

"No!" Near jumped up. "You're wrong! I don't care that you've come back to haunt me, I care that you refuse to rest. I've always cared about you, Mello, even if I never showed it."

Still, the blond didn't believe him. "Your empty words charm me no longer; I am no longer fooled. If you truly feel as such, you should have no problem proving it."

The albino attempted to hold the blue gaze honestly but a commotion started outside; someone began pounding on the door.

"Near, why is this door locked? Open up right now; this isn't funny, young man!" Hal called from outside.

Mello chuckled. " 'Young man'? Looks like your babysitter's here…"

Near remained firm. "Let her in, Mello. I know you locked it; release your hold on it."

The blond scoffed, even as the door clicked open; Hal rushed in, confused by what she had heard. "Are you alright? You were talking to someone; I heard you say Mello's name," she questioned with concern.

Near had only turned to acknowledge her for a moment, yet there was no trace of his rival when he looked back.

Mello's spirit had left to haunt him another day…

* * *

"I'm starting to think we should take you to a doctor…" Hal mused.

"I'm not hallucinating! He was there; he threw a block at my head and talked to me!" Near insisted. "I'm a teenage genius; I think I can tell what's real."

His male agents seemed just as worried, but obviously weren't sure of what to do. Lester just crossed his arms and closed his eyes tight, thinking; Gevanni, on the other hand, seemed curious as he examined the door.

He turned his head. "Hal, didn't you say the door was locked when you first tried it but Near never got up to let you in?" he began, appearing a bit chilled by his own observations. "If Near was just imagining Mello, who opened the door for you?"

The young woman paled, obviously turning into a believer. She then glanced down at Near, who was twisting his hair thoughtfully.

"…What did he want…?" she questioned hesitantly.  
The albino gazed back with his dark eyes, as calm as ever. "Not much. Just trying to scare me, I guess; it worked. I must say he's rather good at his new job, and just from his first try. This is going to be one hell of a haunting…"

* * *

He was a sheep, a fluffy sheep, eating peacefully in a lush field. He was alone but unafraid. His thoughts resolved around the grass he was chewing ever so slowly.

With sudden and fearful caws, the birds roosting nearby fled. A predator was close yet he kept eating, eyes half-lidded in blissful ignorance.

A fierce snarl ripped the serenity of the valley to shreds as a tiger leaped forth from the bushes. Only now that the predator was before him did he attempt to run in sudden terror. His short legs stumbled over the field as the wild feline glided after him on powerful limbs.

Without warning, the sheep found himself cornered, between a tiger and a hard place; there was nowhere to go. He was trapped with a predator at his fluffy back. He whirled around, deciding he might as well face his fate.

The blue eyed tiger pounced and trapped him on his back under one giant paw; the last thing he saw was a set of vicious fangs before his throat was ripped open.

* * *

Near shot up in his bed, panting and wide-eyed. What the hell was that? He had never had a nightmare like that before…

"Enjoy my surprise?"

The albino turned his head quickly in surprise to find Mello comfortable on the edge of his bed; his blue eyes mirrored the tiger's and Near shivered. The blond seemed quite pleased with himself.

"That was you?" Near asked, still trying to calm his racing breath. "How? Why?"

His rival uncurled himself from the mattress and stood to tower over him as he remained sitting up from under the covers. His eyes twinkled wickedly from amusement.

"I've found I can do many things as a ghost, including invade your dreams. Why? Why not?" he answered darkly, a transparent being against the dimness of his room.

"You've done enough. Why don't you leave?" Near pleaded quietly.

Mello's mischievous smile vanished. "Nothing I do will equal how you tormented me; I will never leave until you are on the brink."

The albino gulped and dared to ask. "Of what?"

The blond's eyes twinkled once more. "Insanity or suicide, your choice…" he informed with chilling causality.

Near groped for defense. "I'll get my agents; they know you are here," he threatened.

Mello crossed his arms. "So what? They can't touch me…" he countered. "Besides, I'd expect better from the second L."

The albino became somber. "What good is a detective against a restless specter?" he murmured, feeling helpless for the first time in a long while.

A side of the blond's mouth twitched into a smirk. "That's not my problem; it's yours," and faded suddenly into thin air; his icy blue irises were the last to leave, gleaming with a growing wickedness. "Be alert, dear Near, for tomorrow I return once more."

Then he was gone. Near was left alone and trembling in his room, now chilly from Mello's undying wrath…

**A.N:** Review?


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